What is your play style in singles?

My singles playing style is predominantly

  • Aggressive Baseliner (power players, bashers)

    Votes: 35 21.5%
  • Consistent Baseliner (includes counterpunchers, pushers)

    Votes: 44 27.0%
  • Junkballer (slicers and those who depend primarily on low-pace variety)

    Votes: 11 6.7%
  • All-court player (changes styles as needed and comfortable at net or baseline)

    Votes: 57 35.0%
  • Net player (S/V and chip/charge)

    Votes: 16 9.8%

  • Total voters
    163
  • Poll closed .

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
How would you label your playing style when you play singles? Has your style changed over the years?

I was mainly an aggressive baseliner for most of my life depending on my serve to set up +1 shots. I started playing doubles about a decade ago and subsequently became comfortable at the net as I started coming to the net quickly in doubles. Since then, my singles game has evolved to be more of an all-court style as I’ll approach the net off short balls whenever I can.
 
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Idaho MEP

Rookie
"Counter-puncher" is probably the best description. Sometimes more pusher, and sometimes more all-court player. My biggest strength is playing defense from the baseline, but I also like to attack the net quite a bit. Sometimes I'll serve-and-volley >50% of my service points, but even then I'm playing baseline defense for return games.
 

cks

Hall of Fame
Currently I fall into the "Consistent Baseliner". But, I'm working on playing more aggressive on short balls and some net play when drawn in on drop shots or short balls.
 

fundrazer

G.O.A.T.
I try to play an all court style but my net game is very hot and cold. More of an aggressive baseliner + have a flatter trajectory on my groundstrokes.
 

onehandbh

G.O.A.T.
I'm neither a power baseliner nor consistent, so I guess I don't fit into the first two choices. I do hit some random junkballs sometimes. I go to the net when the opportunity arises and serve and volley once in awhile, so I guess all-court player would fit me best.
 

RyanRF

Professional
I'm a baseliner. Either aggressive or counterpuncher depending on who my opponent is and what's working well on any given day.
 
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OnTheLine

Hall of Fame
Where is the response for listed Total Disaster?
Right now, a combination of junkballer (I rely way too often on my forehand slice, although it is deep and not floaty) and S&V, with a little baseliner if I can hit a backhand which is all topspin, pace and depth. Points I win: all S&V and C&C. Points I lose: everything else.

Yeah, haven't really played singles in a while, just getting in to a groove with club ladder in the past month or so. Shockingly, I am winning, but may say more about the competition than it says about me.
 

PMF

Semi-Pro
I try to attack the corners and come to the net quickly. Often too impatient as well. I can also deploy a drop shot, followed by a deep lob, right over my opponent. I try that at least 2-3 times per set.
 
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Counterpuncher.

Matches where you're way better than your opponent aren't a good way to judge your style, because you can win them however you want. Vice versa, matches where you're getting blown off the court aren't a good way of judging your style because you're probably only getting to hit the shots your opponent is letting you hit.
 
Currently consistent baseliner.

When I started playing singles I had a lot of trouble with the mental game. Would go into a frustration death spiral once I started making errors. I solved this by getting more consistent and learning to reset my mental state. For a while my singles game was only keeping it in play and making my opponent beat me. In the last couple years I have been able to develop some aggressive baseline shots, which I learned by playing lower level players. When I get a weak shot from my opponent I can hit a backhand drive to either corner with pretty good reliability.

I've since brought the more aggressive shots to my at-level matches. But, I would still say I win by making my opponent play and chasing down would-be winners, just with occasional winners/aggressive shots sprinkled in now.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Poll is pretty evenly spread out. Surprised that there are so many net players in singles. I wonder if they are mostly doubles players who rarely play singles or if they are regular singles players who win a lot playing at the net.

Out of about twenty guys (most 4.5, a few 4.0) I regularly play singles with at my club, only one of them is a S/V-C/C net player. Most of them are aggressive or consistent baseliners in singles. I also play doubles with many of them and then some of them morph into net players.
 
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toth

Hall of Fame
I am now consistent baseliner, but as i am aging, i strive to find possibilities to attak the net (i am 52).
I find my net game pretty promising, my results are not worse...(i am 3,5-4 player).
 

AlienBug

New User
I voted all court, mostly because on any given day I aspire to mediocrity everywhere.


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Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Where's the spot for "Inconsistent Baseliner?" That would be me.

But I have to say, my play style in singles is pretty much what my opponent hates. Playing a basher, I'll junk ball him. Playing a pusher, I'll play an all court game. Playing a defender, I'll throw balls into every part of the court to wear them out. Playing a lobber, I'll move into NML and hit OH's and swinging volleys. My goal is to never let you win with your easy mode game. Make you have to dig deep into your toolbox.

Of course if you do have a tool box then it's a war of consistency and that's where I usually lose. But if you are a one trick pony, I usually can find your weakness.
 

BillKid

Hall of Fame
Not sure honestly. I may oscillate between aggressive and consistent baseliner, although I’m not bad at net. My problem is that I’m not very good at approaching the net and often feel like I lack opportunities to come to the net. This is especially true when my opponent is better than me ; in such situation I feel like the consistent gameplan is all I can do.
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
My problem is that I’m not very good at approaching the net and often feel like I lack opportunities to come to the net.

It's a positive feedback cycle: you're not good at approaching the net so you don't do it. Because you don't do it, you can't get good. One re-inforces the other and vice versa.

You have to break the cycle: pick a match [or set, or game, or even point] and commit to coming to the net [easier to do when serving because you get to start the point]. A good chunk of the time, you will win the point simply because your opponent will make an error.

But even if you lose the point, you're building your "net muscle" [as well as your library for future recall] and the next time you use it, it will be slightly stronger. And so on, and so on.

After a while, you stop worrying about getting passed and recognize that you're putting a lot of pressure on your opponents to come up with a good passer.

Will this work all of the time? Of course not. That's not the point. The point is that you're acclimatizing yourself to a different game style. Now you have a different tool in your toolbox that could help turn the tide in a future match.

Here's an example [I'm in black] against @MaxTennis. Notice the "cat and mouse" back and forth and how sometimes I'm the cat and sometimes I'm the mouse. This dynamic stability is what makes the game interesting.

 
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Fairhit

Hall of Fame
Is racquet blamer the same as racquet abuser?
Not at all, I might be a pig, a liar, a racquet abuser but never a porn star.

In all seriousness, I've never even thought about throwing a racquet, first of all, I have too much respect for the game to do it and second, those frames are expensive and cost me too much time and hard work.
 

abhi_trip

Rookie
Here's an example [I'm in black] against @MaxTennis. Notice the "cat and mouse" back and forth and how sometimes I'm the cat and sometimes I'm the mouse. This dynamic stability is what makes the game interesting.
Sorry to digress, but I love your aggressive style of tennis. Your footwork is one of the best that I've seen on recreational tennis videos. I wish I were half as skilled with my footwork as compared to you.
 

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Not at all, I might be a pig, a liar, a racquet abuser but never a porn star.

In all seriousness, I've never even thought about throwing a racquet, first of all, I have too much respect for the game to do it and second, those frames are expensive and cost me too much time and hard work.
I don’t throw my racquets, but I’m definitely a racquet blamer, and I’ve been accused of abusing my racquets with gorilla tape treatment.
 

TTMR

Hall of Fame
Non-serve based net rusher (like Jimmy Connors). I lose the vast majority of points where I attempt to serve and volley (serve comes back too fast, or poor ability to judge trajectory of ball whether it will be in or out). Groundstroke and charge rather than chip and charge on returns.
 

MarinaHighTennis

Hall of Fame
I used to be aggressive baseliner who hates long rallies and goes for powerful flat balls but since a lot of doubles and hitting the gym I transitioned into a power grinder/all court and became a lot more patient. I hit with heavy spin/flat for angles to push ppl back until I get a short ball or open court to smack/come in.
 

vandre

Hall of Fame
back in the day, i was an "over-aggressive baseliner". these days i am much more patient. now i like to work the point more, wait for a ball i can step into, an opening that i can hit the ball into or a chance to crack the backhand down the line.
 
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